Mirrors Festival 2016

29th October 2016: Various Venues Hackney

In its 2nd year now the Mirrors Festival is being staged across 6 different and interesting venues in the heartland of Hackney. It promises to be a festival to remember with a varied list of bands and artists playing throughout the day. Mirrors to me, serves as a timely reminder on the calendar as it is living proof that the fun and frolics of festivals does not have to orbit around the summer only and can be enjoyed just as much amongst the autumn chill. The line-up serves to support this notion well in the form of an eclectic line up; from the abrasive punk-rock sounds of Fucked Up performing their 2006 debut album Hidden World to the sultry contemporary r’n’b glitches of Anna Straker, there is bound to be something for every punter to groove to!

Mirrors is yet another valuable feather in the cap for Hackney’s growing love of live music and venues, although I am bit surprised the Oval Space and Netil House are not going to feature in this year’s shindig.

Oh well, on the upside Hackney has more than enough venues with equal if not more charisma at its disposal to impress! Within them lots of new, fresh and upcoming talent will be taking to the stages across the all-day fest to create an inviting scene of their own. In addition to this there will a poetry/theatre stage curated by Bad Language Literature and Reverberation Radio and Bad Vibrations DJs spinning the tunes out to keep you going no doubt! Having listened to a few Bad Vibrations sessions, they will be bad…. But in a good way!

I like the fact that Mirrors are not just simply relying on live bands to provide the entertainment but stimulating talks and discussions will also be taking place at the festival too!

Before I forget, the main headliners will be Bat For Lashes and the Allah-las. Both will bring their own brand of sound to the table. The enigmatic Natasha Khan (BFL) will grace us with her presence in what promises to an inspiring melancholic performance featuring musings of heart-break and complicated love. It will be a performance not to miss. Anyone who was lucky enough to see Bat For Lashes at the End Of The Road Festival will remember the marriage proposal which happened on stage for a random lucky couple and how it brought about a happy and refreshing end to her epic set. Hopefully punters can expect a similar set that will push the boundaries of our emotions.

The Allah-las on the other hand will shower us with their breezy psychedelic licks that will no doubt go down a storm given the wonderful revival psychedelic music has had lately. It is definitely a welcome addition to Mirrors Fest as their Californian vibes will no doubt embrace and transport us to some sunny, hazy horizon over the Los Angeles skyline, nice.

Bill Ryder-Jones is the other big(ish) name on the bill. With an impressive CV that reads being the co-founding member of the mighty coral and with them for their best years, and then in 2008 he went his own way. He has now created his own brand of charming lo-fi fuzz that will engulf your senses in a serene way. Last year’s debut album West Kirby Country Primary was evidence of this as it was on many critics’ end of year top album lists, so expect to be impressed and swept away.

However, Popped Music is always about promoting fresh new talent and Mirrors Festival is certainly not short of supporting this issue.

Our Picks:

The Parotts

Recent garage rock upstarts The Parrots are amongst Popped Music’s favourites after they recently dazzled with a captivating live performance which we were lucky enough to witness. Their energy and spirit will no doubt transcend to the crowd.

Listen to No Me Gustas Te Quiero here:

Babeheaven

Listen to Moving On here:

Anna Straker

As already mentioned Anna Straker will be one to watch out for. A 19 year old who possesses both confidence in song-making coupled with slick production. Check out her latest creation Late Night Swimming. It has been downloaded more than 500,000 times and I am sure you will want to know what the fuss is all about!

Listen to Late Night Swimming here:

Liv Dawson

Blending authentic song-writing with a modern yet smooth feel is Liv Dawson. She is another star in the making. Her voice is her weapon, guiding each song effortlessly. The maturity of songs like Tapestry and Still show that she has the potential to further develop a winning formula.